I really think it's a mistake to play 0 first. I originally did that and fell off because I didn't care about the characters enough and didn't fully understand how the Yakuza works (titles, hierarchy, relationship with police/public). Kiwami and Kiwami 2 does a good job at establishing that stuff and keeping things simple. Also, you're meant to play 0 after going through Kiryu and Goro's story. It just doesn't mean much when you don't understand their connection. The absolute ideal order is the order of release, starting with the original PS2 titles and then playing the Kiwami remakes in release order as well. That's the only way to get the full story in the way it was meant to be told. There are subtle meta elements in the Kiwami games that are rewarding after playing the PS2 originals. The best realistic order is skipping the PS2 titles and starting with Kiwami and Kiwami 2, and then Yakuza 3-6, and then 0, and that also sets up a good cycle for you to play through the series again.
I appreciate the thoughtful comment. I can def see the merits in your recommendations. I never played the PS2 originals, and I'm interested in some of those meta elements you've mentioned. Might have to look around on eBay to see if I can get my hands on them.
I feel like that's wrong in my honest opinion because no matter where you start in the series. Kiryu and goros relationship is never explained they just randomly start fighting each other. Playing it in chronological order was the best way and made me appreciate the series and characters more so I went from 0 all the way to 6 and now like a dragon is the current one I'm playing and loving it so much more
I started wird Judgment, which I enjoyed SO much!!! Learnt through that, that it is a spin off of the Yakuza series. I am playing Yakuza 0 now first and I like it a lot. Can't wait to get through the whole series.
thanks for this, was planning to get into it once i finish a game i’m currently playing, and all the other guides on youtube made it seem very confusing, but you perfectly summarized it. much appreciated!
In my opinion, playing Kiwami before 0 is the right way to go. 0 drops you straight in without introducing any of the Main characters properly. Playing Kiwami before really helps with this. Like, you wouldn’t know who the fuck Kazama is in the beginning if you just straight up play 0
You wouldn't, but the pieces fall into place as you continue to play the series. I feel that at least as far as Kiryu is concerned, starting with zero promotes a satisfying character arc as you see the way he grows. Also, I feel that zero is more likely to get players to commit to the series. I'm not as confident about Kiwami. Circling back is definitely recommended. Picking up on who all the characters are, the Easter eggs, it's much more rewarding after the other games.
I have probably played the series in one of the most strange orders. I started with Yakuza 1 on the ps2 then after that the zombie spin off game (of all games I could've played next), and then Yakuza 0. Liked them all three!
Sounds like you had an usual Yakuza journey for sure! Here's hoping for a remake of the zombie game in the future. People might not be as interested as in zombies as they were before, but I would still play it!
Definitely agree with your order as I believe that 0 has a much higher chance of getting the player hooked on the whole series (well at least it worked in my case hehe)
in my opinion: Yakuza kiwami is the best start for the casual players simply because it's shorter and easy to understand And for the hardcore gamers Yakuza 0 it's the best start because it's has better story more minigames and 2 badass playable characters
Interesting perspective. My only fear is that they may have a subpar experience playing Kiwami first. Zero does a stellar job roping people in emotionally so they can't help but commit to the rest of the series. But your recommendation definitely has its merits.
I started with Judgement and Lost Judgment. Then Yakuza 7. Then on to Yakuza 0. I already knew who some of the characters were just from looking them up. (Spoiler, Kind Of) It maybe didn't have the biggest impact when the 2 characters from the previous games showed up in 7, but I also don't feel like I lost out on anything either.
It's definitely an adjustment. It also feels somewhat off going from yakuza kiwami to kiwami 2, playing on the dragon engine. But at least you have story continuity. The new character models for Kaoru and Kiryu can be very disorienting at first.
@@ChillKaijuClan Yeah you’re right about that, I started with original 1 and 2, then 0, on K1 and got remastered coming on the mail. Played a bit of 4 and 5 on ps3 but didn’t get far, and the kiwamis make references to 0.
Correct, but it's not very consequential because it's a standalone title. It wouldn't spoil anything for you if you played it at any time, and I don't feel it would be a significantly better experience if you played it at a specific time between mainline titles. Some world changes are hinted at between the first and second games, but nothing regarding the outcomes of any characters from the main series.
@@ChillKaijuClan I only wished that sony had not discontinued PS2 it would have been awesome but in life sometimes things like this happens. I used to play a lot of fun games at my friend's house when he had PS2, fond memories
@@ChillKaijuClan well I was going to do order of release(1-6, 0). but someone said that this is order of character development?? idk about that but i feel like prequels hit better if you are familiar with the characters.
I also know that people(everyone) consider(s) 0 the best in the series. So starting with that feels a bit like it might diminish the other games in the series if not already tied into their more recent storylines.
@@feralkitty33 Zero seems to get the formula just right and achieves what many of the other titles only attempt to do. The way you've decided to go definitely has its advantages. Sounds like you've got a fun ride ahead of you.
![Resident Evil 6 : [ Part 8 ] Is it a snake or an eel?](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ApS6-H1ffsI/mqdefault.jpg)
I really think it's a mistake to play 0 first. I originally did that and fell off because I didn't care about the characters enough and didn't fully understand how the Yakuza works (titles, hierarchy, relationship with police/public). Kiwami and Kiwami 2 does a good job at establishing that stuff and keeping things simple. Also, you're meant to play 0 after going through Kiryu and Goro's story. It just doesn't mean much when you don't understand their connection.
The absolute ideal order is the order of release, starting with the original PS2 titles and then playing the Kiwami remakes in release order as well. That's the only way to get the full story in the way it was meant to be told. There are subtle meta elements in the Kiwami games that are rewarding after playing the PS2 originals. The best realistic order is skipping the PS2 titles and starting with Kiwami and Kiwami 2, and then Yakuza 3-6, and then 0, and that also sets up a good cycle for you to play through the series again.
I appreciate the thoughtful comment. I can def see the merits in your recommendations. I never played the PS2 originals, and I'm interested in some of those meta elements you've mentioned. Might have to look around on eBay to see if I can get my hands on them.
@@ChillKaijuClan Thanks! Love your videos. You make the best Yakuza vids on RUclips for sure
I feel like that's wrong in my honest opinion because no matter where you start in the series. Kiryu and goros relationship is never explained they just randomly start fighting each other. Playing it in chronological order was the best way and made me appreciate the series and characters more so I went from 0 all the way to 6 and now like a dragon is the current one I'm playing and loving it so much more
@@angelganon8213 Yeah that's a really good point.
@@willw.1466 to be fair you can play it anyway and enjoy it but this is how I enjoyed my trip so far as a complete newbie to the series
These games and Persona all really make me want to visit Japan someday
The tourism board couldn't hope for better promotion!
This is how weebs get disappointed when they see that Japan is just a regular ass country.
I started wird Judgment, which I enjoyed SO much!!! Learnt through that, that it is a spin off of the Yakuza series. I am playing Yakuza 0 now first and I like it a lot. Can't wait to get through the whole series.
Best game expensive ever had
I start from zero
recommend tissues
because this game can get emotional
It seems many of the games have very tear-jerking scenes.
thanks for this, was planning to get into it once i finish a game i’m currently playing, and all the other guides on youtube made it seem very confusing, but you perfectly summarized it. much appreciated!
Great video and lots of people will be asking this question!
Thanks for checking it out, Noda!
came from twitch , what a nice content
You what my entry point was? Fist of the North Star, Lost Paradise.
In my opinion, playing Kiwami before 0 is the right way to go. 0 drops you straight in without introducing any of the Main characters properly. Playing Kiwami before really helps with this.
Like, you wouldn’t know who the fuck Kazama is in the beginning if you just straight up play 0
You wouldn't, but the pieces fall into place as you continue to play the series. I feel that at least as far as Kiryu is concerned, starting with zero promotes a satisfying character arc as you see the way he grows.
Also, I feel that zero is more likely to get players to commit to the series. I'm not as confident about Kiwami.
Circling back is definitely recommended. Picking up on who all the characters are, the Easter eggs, it's much more rewarding after the other games.
This is good content mate and thanks for spoiler warning
I have probably played the series in one of the most strange orders. I started with Yakuza 1 on the ps2 then after that the zombie spin off game (of all games I could've played next), and then Yakuza 0. Liked them all three!
Sounds like you had an usual Yakuza journey for sure! Here's hoping for a remake of the zombie game in the future. People might not be as interested as in zombies as they were before, but I would still play it!
Definitely agree with your order as I believe that 0 has a much higher chance of getting the player hooked on the whole series (well at least it worked in my case hehe)
in my opinion:
Yakuza kiwami is the best start for the casual players simply because it's shorter and easy to understand
And for the hardcore gamers Yakuza 0 it's the best start because it's has better story more minigames and 2 badass playable characters
Interesting perspective. My only fear is that they may have a subpar experience playing Kiwami first. Zero does a stellar job roping people in emotionally so they can't help but commit to the rest of the series. But your recommendation definitely has its merits.
at 2:112 he says the order of the games :]
Hey thanks, I dropped a timestamp for it.
I started with Judgement and Lost Judgment. Then Yakuza 7. Then on to Yakuza 0. I already knew who some of the characters were just from looking them up. (Spoiler, Kind Of) It maybe didn't have the biggest impact when the 2 characters from the previous games showed up in 7, but I also don't feel like I lost out on anything either.
Yeah, it's not the biggest deal, imo, but there are some gamers out there that might beg to differ.
I’d say you might as well start with 0 first if you’re going to start with the Kiwamis. It doesn’t feel right playing 3 after those.
It's definitely an adjustment. It also feels somewhat off going from yakuza kiwami to kiwami 2, playing on the dragon engine. But at least you have story continuity.
The new character models for Kaoru and Kiryu can be very disorienting at first.
@@ChillKaijuClan Yeah you’re right about that, I started with original 1 and 2, then 0, on K1 and got remastered coming on the mail. Played a bit of 4 and 5 on ps3 but didn’t get far, and the kiwamis make references to 0.
Judgment happens before 7 though, no?
Correct, but it's not very consequential because it's a standalone title. It wouldn't spoil anything for you if you played it at any time, and I don't feel it would be a significantly better experience if you played it at a specific time between mainline titles.
Some world changes are hinted at between the first and second games, but nothing regarding the outcomes of any characters from the main series.
@@ChillKaijuClan Yeah, I'm on Yakuza 7 rn, having played Judgment already. After Y7, I'll probably play LJ.
PS2 had a great collection of games
Absolutely. One of the best eras in gaming.
@@ChillKaijuClan I only wished that sony had not discontinued PS2 it would have been awesome but in life sometimes things like this happens. I used to play a lot of fun games at my friend's house when he had PS2, fond memories
sorry im doing 1, 2, 0, 3, 4, 5, 6 and i started with 7
That's fine, I'm not your dad. :D
What made you decide on that order?
@@ChillKaijuClan well I was going to do order of release(1-6, 0). but someone said that this is order of character development?? idk about that but i feel like prequels hit better if you are familiar with the characters.
I also know that people(everyone) consider(s) 0 the best in the series. So starting with that feels a bit like it might diminish the other games in the series if not already tied into their more recent storylines.
@@feralkitty33 Zero seems to get the formula just right and achieves what many of the other titles only attempt to do. The way you've decided to go definitely has its advantages. Sounds like you've got a fun ride ahead of you.